Religion, Philosophy and Spirituality   

Ever tried meditation or wondered what is meant by “inner work”? Discover your rich inner landscape through a modern spiritual practice of inquiry. This practice awakens and supports a person to explore whatever gets in the way of their deeper personal truth. If you feel stymied by negative self-talk or overly influenced by what others think- this practice helps liberate you from those forces. If you’re interested in learning about the interplay between your personality and the soul, consider the possibility of diving into an exploratory experience that opens the vivid, sensory, and dynamic realm of your consciousness. This study group will introduce the practice of inquiry by roughly following the book: Diving in the Inner Ocean by Dominic Lieber.

Julie Endress is a spiritual teacher in a modern path that pulls from depth psychology and ancient traditions. She has practiced inquiry for almost 20 years. Her background as an executive coach, consultant and engineer bring a real-world perspective to her role as a teacher.

Most great instigators of social change have intimate personal knowledge of trauma. Oprah Winfrey comes to mind, as do Maya Angelou, Nelson Mandela, and Elie Wiesel. Read the life history of any visionaryperson, and you will find insights and passions that came from having dealt with devastation. The same is true of societies. Many of our most profound advances began out of experiencing trauma: the abolition of slavery from the Civil War, Social Security in response to the Great Depression, and the GI Bill, which produced our once vast and prosperous middle class, from World War Il. Trauma is now our most urgent public health issue, and we have the knowledge necessary to respond effectively. The choice is ours to act on what we know. Our text will be The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel Van Der Kolk.

Mike Murray is a more or less retired Psychotherapist and has conducted classes for OLLI for over sixteen years.